Lufthansa union warns of Germany-wide strike Friday

Passengers wait for their transfer at the Frankfurt airport, Sept. 4, 2012. Lufthansa cancelled hundreds of flights Tuesday after the UFO union, which represents around two-thirds of the airline’s 19,000 cabin crew, called its members out on strike.

KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS

PETER MAUSHAGEN and VICTORIA BRYAN

FRANKFURT

Reuters

March 26, 2017September 4, 2012

Lufthansa cabin crew will strike throughout Germany on Friday for a full 24 hours, upping the stakes in a row over pay and conditions that threatens to drag on for weeks and cost Germany's biggest airline tens of millions of euros.

Cabin crews walked out at Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin airports on Tuesday, forcing Lufthansa to cancel hundreds more flights following strike action on Friday that left 26,000 passengers stranded.

The UFO union said a Germany-wide strike would start at midnight Friday. Union head Nicoley Baublies, speaking to a German broadcaster, called on Lufthansa to start mediation, a process that would halt the strikes.

Story continues below advertisement

Lufthansa repeated its earlier statement that it saw no reason for mediation. "The offer already made is reason enough to return to the negotiating table," a spokesman said.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG cancelled hundreds of flights on Tuesday as cabin crew launched a second round of strikes in a row over pay and conditions that threatens to drag on for weeks and cost Germany's biggest airline tens of millions of euros.

"It is difficult for the company to cushion the impact. We cannot just get new flight attendants, and the personnel buffer is limited," Lufthansa spokesman Klaus Walther said.

By early afternoon on Tuesday, Lufthansa had cancelled over 300 flights, or more than one in six of its daily total.

Its Austrian Airlines unit, unaffected by the strikes because its staff are on separate contracts, said it was using larger aircraft on routes to Germany to help out its parent.

While Germany has a track record of mostly harmonious labour relations compared with other major European countries such as France, its airlines and airports have been hit by a string of disputes in recent years as companies battle to cut costs to cope with the rise of low-cost carriers, soaring fuel prices, fast-growing Middle East airlines and an air travel tax.

A strike by Lufthansa pilots in 2010 caused more than 2,800 flight cancellations, and earlier this year a strike by airfield staff at Frankfurt airport also hit Lufthansa's business.

Story continues below advertisement

Story continues below advertisement

U.S. soldier Ron Smith, travelling home to Denver, said it seemed each time he flew through Frankfurt he ended up getting stranded. "This wouldn't happen in the U.S.," he complained.

Trade union UFO, which represents around two-thirds of Lufthansa's 18,000 cabin crew, called for eight hours of strikes in Frankfurt and Berlin and 11 hours in Munich on Tuesday.

Talks between Lufthansa and UFO broke down a week ago, having failed to result in an agreement for 13 months, and have so far not resumed, with both sides adamant the other should make concessions first.

The union wants a 5-per-cent pay increase and guarantees against outsourcing and the use of temporary workers.

Lufthansa, which is slashing costs in a bid to boost its earnings by €1.5-billion ($1.9-billion), says it will not improve its offer to raise pay by 3.5 per cent in exchange for longer hours.

UFO head Nicoley Baublies threatened the next step could be full-day walkouts by Lufthansa cabin crew across Germany. He has previously said the union was prepared to strike into the autumn or winter.

Story continues below advertisement

Analysts estimate the strikes could cost about €5-million to €10-million a day, but Equinet analyst Jochen Rothenbacher warned that sum could jump to as much as €50-million if full-day strikes across Germany shut down all flights.

Lufthansa's Mr. Walther said the airline was mulling legal steps against the union.

At its main hub in Frankfurt alone, Lufthansa scrapped around 200 flights on Tuesday, with about half of short- and medium-haul flights affected, but also one-third of its more lucrative long-haul flights.

The airline, which normally operates about 1,800 flights per day around the world, also cancelled half of its long-haul trips due to depart Munich and expects to cancel about a quarter of short- and medium-haul flights.

By mid-morning, Lufthansa had sent 18,000 text messages to customers' mobile phones to inform them of flight cancellations and delays, and it was supplying stranded passengers at airports with drinks and snacks.

Lufthansa shares, which have fallen 17 per cent over the past year, closed down 1.3 percent at €9.659.

The Globe invites you to share your views. Please stay on topic and be respectful to everyone. For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions.

We’ve made some technical updates to our commenting software. If you are experiencing any issues posting comments, simply log out and log back in.